Six Nations 2021

[Rim Fire]

58 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

He had no control of the ball. the ball went forward onto his leg, but the lack of control is key, which is why everyone in the comms box and the pundits in the studio (even Sam Warberton was 50-50) and even the Welsh team, it seemed, thought it was a knock on. When a Welshman doesn't celebrate a try against the English, you've got to think there's something fishy going on...

And it definitely doesn't explain the embarrassment of the first try! 

That said, England's discipline cost them. Wales held theirs so deserved to win. 

Check the rule book

[twenty]

2 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

Ah a question for you sir, if I may? Do you think the lack of relegation from the Prem has adversely affected intensity? Now there's nothing to play for, it must have drained a bit of desperation out of the team?

Well to be fair to the club, we have had massive upheavals in the last year as regards new head coach and attack and defence coaches. George Skivington is now trying to blood new talent from the Hartpury academy for the rest of the season, after losing 4/5 front line players during the covid year ( Mosstert,Cipriani,Kriel,etc)

Plus long term injuries to Ben Morgan, Willie Heinz, Henry Trinder, Jake Polledri ,

Also the awarding of covid points when games were cancelled made a mockery of the season, Worcester have picked up 8 points from these cancelled games, yet sit above us in the league (5 other clubs have benefited by not playing as well)

Gloucester were quite prepared for a relegation battle, but i believe the right decision was for no relegation this season, todays game between Glos and Worcs was dire, this was the alleged basement battle, and we won 22-14, but there was good effort from both sides, but both were low on confidence with only 2 wins between them this season......but no,Gloucester are trying as hard as usual,and I am confident we will not be bottom at the end of the season.......no one wants to be known as the club that avoided relegation by the back door.

All the best

[harrycatcat1]

[chrisjpainter]

5 minutes ago, twenty said:

Well to be fair to the club, we have had massive upheavals in the last year as regards new head coach and attack and defence coaches. George Skivington is now trying to blood new talent from the Hartpury academy for the rest of the season, after losing 4/5 front line players during the covid year ( Mosstert,Cipriani,Kriel,etc)

Plus long term injuries to Ben Morgan, Willie Heinz, Henry Trinder, Jake Polledri ,

Also the awarding of covid points when games were cancelled made a mockery of the season, Worcester have picked up 8 points from these cancelled games, yet sit above us in the league (5 other clubs have benefited by not playing as well)

Gloucester were quite prepared for a relegation battle, but i believe the right decision was for no relegation this season, todays game between Glos and Worcs was dire, this was the alleged basement battle, and we won 22-14, but there was good effort from both sides, but both were low on confidence with only 2 wins between them this season......but no,Gloucester are trying as hard as usual,and I am confident we will not be bottom at the end of the season.......no one wants to be known as the club that avoided relegation by the back door.

All the best

It makes sense and to be honest I can't think of any other way round it. Gloucester on paper look a decent side with everyone fit.

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, blackbird said:

The triple crown or grant slam means nothing in Wales but beating the English means everything 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I have no issues with that, I said to my kids, for the next 80 minutes the French, sorry Welsh hate us and we hate them, then afterwards you go and have a pint together.

I'd say Wales is the team I always want England to beat over the other home nations.

But the French will always have a special place,  I'm looking forward to watching the end of the game and listening to the comments. 

Can't wait to play the French,  just hope it's not a Welsh referee. 

[twenty]

Just now, chrisjpainter said:

It makes sense and to be honest I can't think of any other way round it. Gloucester on paper look a decent side with everyone fit.

Yeah ,we are probably top six to be fair........when all are fit and available, at the moment we are currently without Varney (Italy), Harris (Scotland), May (England), LRZ (Wales) to the six nations.

But Hastings joins us next season from Glasgow, so our No10 problem should ease, Twelvetrees is currently playing out of position at 10 at the moment and kicking the goals as well.......he is a 100% player, but not a 10,and only kicks  successfully at 75-80%.

All the best

 

[Rim Fire]

10 hours ago, twenty said:

Well to be fair to the club, we have had massive upheavals in the last year as regards new head coach and attack and defence coaches. George Skivington is now trying to blood new talent from the Hartpury academy for the rest of the season, after losing 4/5 front line players during the covid year ( Mosstert,Cipriani,Kriel,etc)

Plus long term injuries to Ben Morgan, Willie Heinz, Henry Trinder, Jake Polledri ,

Also the awarding of covid points when games were cancelled made a mockery of the season, Worcester have picked up 8 points from these cancelled games, yet sit above us in the league (5 other clubs have benefited by not playing as well)

Gloucester were quite prepared for a relegation battle, but i believe the right decision was for no relegation this season, todays game between Glos and Worcs was dire, this was the alleged basement battle, and we won 22-14, but there was good effort from both sides, but both were low on confidence with only 2 wins between them this season......but no,Gloucester are trying as hard as usual,and I am confident we will not be bottom at the end of the season.......no one wants to be known as the club that avoided relegation by the back door.

All the best

I have watched  a few games of Gloucester this season and to fair in the dying minutes they have lost the games they have come very close to winning  as you say i don't think it would be fair to be relegated with the way the points have been dished out its not for the wont of trying 

[twenty]

5 hours ago, Rim Fire said:

I have watched  a few games of Gloucester this season and to fair in the dying minutes they have lost the games they have come very close to winning  as you say i don't think it would be fair to be relegated with the way the points have been dished out its not for the wont of trying 

Agreed Rimfire, we have not had the nous to close games out, but it will come right, and i am confident of better results as the pitches dry out and we can get our speedy threequarters going, mud baths at the moment at various grounds,(including Gloucester..........even with a hybrid pitch ! )

Hopeful of carrying on producing current Welsh internationals for you 😉.....LRZ, Moriarty, Sheedy, etc 

All the best.

Edited February 28, 2021 by twenty

[chrisjpainter]

Daly's been dropped! I repeat. DALY'S BEEN DROPPED!

Max Malins comes in at 15 instead. About time! Watson on one wing, and the scrumtastic Johnny May on the other. Cowan-Dickie starts as hooker. I don't know much about Malins other than the odd youtube video of him burning past people. I don't care much about that; Eliot Daly can do that. But what's Malins like in defence and under the high ball?

England team vs France:
 

England: Malins; Watson, Slade, Farrell, May; Ford, Youngs; M Vunipola, Cowan-Dickie, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola.

Replacements: George, Genge, Stuart, Hill, Earl, Robson, Lawrence, Daly.

[henry d]

Loved watching Malins in the prem, good choice for attack and I would say better than Daly, but due to C5 only showing highlights you don't see much defence work. Possibly just selected to give him time on the pitch.

[Mice!]

5 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

Daly's been dropped! I repeat. DALY'S BEEN DROPPED!

Max Malins comes in at 15 instead. About time! Watson on one wing, and the scrumtastic Johnny May on the other. Cowan-Dickie starts as hooker. I don't know much about Malins other than the odd youtube video of him burning past people. I don't care much about that; Eliot Daly can do that. But what's Malins like in defence and under the high ball?

England team vs France:
 

England: Malins; Watson, Slade, Farrell, May; Ford, Youngs; M Vunipola, Cowan-Dickie, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola.

Replacements: George, Genge, Stuart, Hill, Earl, Robson, Lawrence, Daly.

Anyone playing at full back at this level should be solid under the high ball.

I'm just hoping the rustiness has gone, I'm still not sure how playing people who haven't been playing club rugby is a good idea, it might have been a chance to try out a few new players.

Saturday should be a good day of rugby,  but where can I send the wife and kids??

[JDog]

Daley was the worst tackler in the team.

[chrisjpainter]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Anyone playing at full back at this level should be solid under the high ball.

I'm just hoping the rustiness has gone, I'm still not sure how playing people who haven't been playing club rugby is a good idea, it might have been a chance to try out a few new players.

Saturday should be a good day of rugby,  but where can I send the wife and kids??

And yet, Daly...

[Whitebridges]

I enjoyed this result. The mini gods at Saracens are not that mighty are they? Especially when they thought they could railroad their way back:   https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56307196

The England team looks tired and slow. No inventiveness, predictable.  Eddie stuck with the old guard for too long.  

The french will beat us easily unless new boys Max Malins, Cowen-Dickie and Charlie Ewels have anything to say and do it on the pitch ! 

Sam Simmonds at No 8 should be an automatic start but he's obviously not Eddies baby.    

        

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, Whitebridges said:

Sam Simmonds at No 8 should be an automatic start but he's obviously not Eddies baby

This is where not following the club rugby let's me down.

1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said:

And yet, Daly...

I said should 🤭 

[henry d]

12 hours ago, Whitebridges said:

Sam Simmonds at No 8 should be an automatic start but he's obviously not Eddies baby.

Not sure how he would fit alongside Mark Wilson? Curry, Underhill, Simmonds yes I could or would like to see that.

[twenty]

Eddie Jones can only select from the 28 players he has available in the England squad bubble  he has assembled, therefore Simmonds being outside the bubble, (not originally selected), is unlikely to be asked to join the established bubble and possibly undo the quarantine effect  of the squad,(other players as well, Smith,Dombrandt etc.

Non of the current England bubble have been released to play any club games, even on fallow weekends in the 6 Nations or when not selected for England squads, so as to keep this England bubble as tight as possible.

Maybe Eddie should have selected these on form players in his original squad, and left the Saracens players out, they have played no rugby apart from the England games, as the Championship (the league Saracens are in) only started playing competitive games last weekend.

Hope this helps explain the England team selection decisions.

All the best.

Edited March 12, 2021 by twenty

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, twenty said:

Maybe Eddie should have selected these on form players in his original squad, and left the Saracens players out, they have played no rugby apart from the England games, as the Championship (the league Saracens are in) only started playing competitive games last weekend.

That's a big part of the issue,  Eddie should have said I'm not selecting any Saracens as the lads haven't played, I'll try something different,  it was a free chance to experiment. 

https://www.saracens.com/seven-sarries-in-england-squad/

[twenty]

2 hours ago, Mice! said:

That's a big part of the issue,  Eddie should have said I'm not selecting any Saracens as the lads haven't played, I'll try something different,  it was a free chance to experiment. 

https://www.saracens.com/seven-sarries-in-england-squad/

Agreed, this was the chance to blood Robson at 9,Odogwu on a wing, Marcus Smith at 10, Dombrandt/Simmonds at 8, Ollie Lawrence at 12, Malins, Earls, etc...............obviously not all at the same time, but over the 5 games.

Anyway, Glos v Leics  tomorrow at Kingsholm..........hoping for a third win on the trot.

All the best.

[Mice!]

3 minutes ago, twenty said:

Agreed, this was the chance to blood Robson at 9,Odogwu on a wing, Marcus Smith at 10, Dombrandt/Simmonds at 8, Ollie Lawrence at 12, Malins, Earls, etc...............obviously not all at the same time, but over the 5 games.

Anyway, Glos v Leics  tomorrow at Kingsholm..........hoping for a third win on the trot.

All the best.

It was a free shot and he hasn't taken it, just stuck with the old guard ☹

I had highlights of Marcus Smith come up last week and he looks electric,  would have been great to give them a taste.

[twenty]

2 minutes ago, Mice! said:

It was a free shot and he hasn't taken it, just stuck with the old guard ☹

I had highlights of Marcus Smith come up last week and he looks electric,  would have been great to give them a taste.

Smith is class, he had the chance of moving to France recently (Lyon), on mega bucks.........but chose to stay and further his England hopes..................?........oh Eddie.

[chrisjpainter]

I feel we should go through the rigmarole of predictions!

Although this one's hard to call. It all depends on which England team shows up. For once, I think this game will be decided on the backs not the forwards. Whoever wins the midfield battle, wins the game.

I predict: A draw.

[henry d]

27 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

I predict: A draw.

Wow, I think that's the hardest prediction in rugby. 

For me, more out of hope, it's a hard fought win but very close for England, but as long as it is a good game with good discipline I'll be happy and I think that Wales need a wee boost before they get stuffed in Paris 😜

[London Best]

That French “referee” should be made to play in the front row this week. That would teach him the rules!

[Mice!]

Haven't seen france play for a few weeks, and you just never know which team will turn up, hopefully England by ten, with a much better performance.